Counter-UAS News from Around the World

Unmanned Aerial: Drone Industry Responds to Draft Tort Law on ‘Aerial Trespass’

The Uniform Law Commission (ULC) recently came up with a draft law relating to “aerial trespass” by low-altitude unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and the need for additional regulation beyond Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) laws. According to ULC, its draft “Tort Law Relating To Drones Act” claims that “existing law will fail to protect landowners and will fail to clearly define what conduct by drone operators is and is not acceptable.” ULC, as defined, is a nonprofit, state-supported association made up of lawyers tasked with creating “nonpartisan, well-conceived and well-drafted legislation that brings clarity and stability to critical areas of state statutory law.”

FAA: Press Release – FAA Statement–Federal vs. Local Drone Authority

Congress has provided the FAA with exclusive authority to regulate aviation safety, the efficiency of the navigable airspace, and air traffic control, among other things. State and local governments are not permitted to regulate any type of aircraft operations, such as flight paths or altitudes, or the navigable airspace. However, these powers are not the same as regulation of aircraft landing sites, which involves local control of land and zoning. Laws traditionally related to state and local police power – including land use, zoning, privacy, and law enforcement operations – generally are not subject to federal regulation.  Cities and municipalities are not permitted to have their own rules or regulations governing the operation of aircraft. However, as indicated, they may generally determine the location of aircraft landing sites through their land use powers. In the context of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) – popularly called “drones”— the Department of Transportation’s UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP), directed by the President, will provide the FAA with insight on how to best involve local jurisdictions in the integration of UAS into the airspace (PDF) in a way that also alleviates their concerns. On May 9, the Secretary of Transportation announced the selection of 10 state, local, and tribal governments as participants in the pilot program. These entities will partner with private sector participants to safely explore the further integration of drone operations. We’re looking forward to working with the IPP participants as we look to the future.

UK Daily Mail: Drone ban for children proposed

Children could be banned from owning drones weighing at least 250 grams. The Department for Transport (DfT) is considering introducing the age restriction as part of a safety crackdown amid growing misuse of the gadgets. Many small drones are lighter than 250 grams, but children would be stopped from owning heavier versions which can fly further and cause more damage.

WCPO Cincinnati: Sharing the sky with drones means close calls and worries for airplane pilots

The skies above Cincinnati, once the exclusive domain of the hollow-boned and beaked, have become increasingly crowded since the invention of air travel and the unmanned aerial vehicles known as drones. With so many coming and going among the clouds, airplane pilot Patrick Daley said it’s harder than ever to make sure everyone stays safely out of one another’s way. “The problem (with drone pilots), I think, is that it’s become such a sport to see how high you can go, how far you can go, how long you can go,” he said. Sooner or later, he thinks someone will go too high, too far and too long with potentially life-threatening results.

Shepard: AARTOS for NATO summit protection

Aaronia’s AARTOS counter-UAS system was used by the Belgium Police to protect the 2018 NATO summit from rogue UAS threats. Various AARTOS systems were deployed at different positions including the roof of the NATO headquarters building and on top of the Triumphal Arch in Brussels Jubelpark.

UAS Vision: DroneGun Tactical Certified for Human Exposure

DroneShield Ltd has announced that its DroneGun Tactical product has been certified as compliant for human exposure, in connection with requests by potential governmental end-users, in relation to their procurement processes. OneTech, a specialist SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) laboratory for global certifications, has certified DroneShield’s DroneGun Tactical as compliant with the ARPANSA EN 50566 and EN 50663 (Australian and New Zealand Communications and Media Authority requirements for human exposure to radio frequencies) within the specific frequency bands of operation which cross references to the international ICNIRP standard.

FAA: FAA Hits 100K Remote Pilot Certificates Issued

Drones have really taken off! As of today, more than 100,000 enthusiasts have obtained a Remote Pilot Certificate to fly a drone for commercial and recreational (not qualifying as “model aircraft”) use since the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) small drone rule went into effect on August 29, 2016.

Rand Corporation: Small States Can Use Naval Mines and Unmanned Vehicles to Deter Maritime Aggression

Across the Eurasian littorals, small coastal nations as varied as Estonia, Georgia, Bahrain, and Taiwan face potentially aggressive threats from larger, more powerful adversaries. For all of these nations, their coastlines represent vulnerabilities that an adversary may seek to exploit, launching a seaborne invasion to seize key locales. At the same time, these small states have great difficulty building up traditional navies that can counter the maritime threat from their neighbors. Their prospective adversaries are up to 100 times larger in both population and the size of their economies. Effective surface fleets are expensive, and submarines even more so; these small states would struggle to achieve even a fraction of the traditional naval capabilities of their much larger neighbors.

yNet: The new explosive drone threat from Gaza

For several months, the IDF hid from the public the fact Hamas drones dropped explosives inside an Israeli community on the Gaza border; this could’ve been an experiment indicating on a worrying new capability, which could be used to target Iron Dome batteries and IDF positions. Several days later a similar device was once again discovered on the outskirts of that town, which is located across the border from Gaza City. This time, security forces could point to a connection between the explosive devices and a drone coming from the strip.

Ars Technica: Israeli defense firm demos kamikaze drone bomb that can be called off

In early July, Israel Aerospace Industries demonstrated the Rotem UAS—a proof-of-concept quadcopter drone capable of providing both airborne surveillance and an explosive punch. The lightweight drone, which can be carried in a backpack and flown by one person, comes with a “combat head” that turns it into a guided weapon. Rotem folds down into a package 38 inches long, 7 inches wide, and 5 inches high. According to a report from Israel Defense, the drone has a number of “automated modes.” It has automatic take off and landing control, an emergency “return home” feature, and can navigate to a given set of coordinates or follow a pre-specified route without operator interaction. It can also be put into automated observation and attack modes once a target is designated, and the drone can “safe ditch” and disable its warhead if an attack is aborted.